A 'HUMAN CANNONBALL' stuntman plunged to his death when a safety net intended to break his fall collapsed underneath him, an inquest heard today.

Matthew Cranch, 24, sustained fatal head injuries after he was fired into the air before falling head-first to the ground during a daredevil stunt show, jurors were told.

He had been fired from a cannon mounted on a lorry in front of crowds at Scott May's Daredevil Stunt Show at the Kent County Showground in Detling on April 25, 2011.

Police initially launched an inquiry in to the death of Mr Cranch, who was originally from the Isle of Man but living in Cornwall at the time, but it was later handed over to Maidstone Borough Council who have "health and safety functions."

Outlining the case to jurors at the start of a three-day inquest, Mid-Kent and Medway coroner Patricia Harding said the safety net Mr Cranch was due to land in had collapsed.

SWNS

Matthew Cranch was shot in to the air during the stunt

In this particular case, as Matthew was fired out of the cannon, the net collapsed, causing Mr Cranch to land on the ground

Coroner Patricia Harding

Speaking at the hearing at Archbishop's Palace in Maidstone, she said: "Matthew Cranch himself was performing a stunt called the human cannonball.

"There is a cannon mounted on the back of a lorry and it is fired into a safety net nearby. In this particular case, as Matthew was fired out of the cannon, the net collapsed, causing Mr Cranch to land on the ground.

"He suffered multiple injuries and, tragically, he died at Maidstone Hospital that very same day. He had been attended to by St John Ambulance and other ambulance teams."

At the time of his death Mr Cranch's family and friends paid tribute to a "extremely popular guy."

Mr Cranch had given up his job as a hotel barman two weeks before he became a professional daredevil, friends said.

His parents Michael and Pauline and his sister Eleanor, as well as Mr May - founder of the stunt show - and representatives from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Maidstone Borough Council were present at the inquest.

Kent Police announced back in December 2012 that no criminal prosecution would be brought over the incident.